WATCH: What REALLY happened at the violent Melbourne extremist rally
Amid the chaos covering extremist rallies in Melbourne at the weekend, I confronted both Neo-Nazi protestors and Antifa counter-protesters who appeared to share a lot in common, not in the least hating me.
Accused by the Antifa faction of supporting Neo-Nazi ideologies, and despised by the Neo-Nazis due to my Jewish ethnicity, it's no great surprise that I became the target of their hate with the protest turning violent and the Rebel News team caught in the crossfire.
As the verbal exchange became heated, I was physically attacked by Antifa members with a flagpole.
Despite this, I was committed to trying to understand how the two groups, who largely looked, dressed and acted the same, differed in their hateful opinions.
"Why do you call the only Jew here a Nazi?" I asked members of Antifa, highlighting the absurdity of the situation.
In the face of mounting aggression, I maintained my journalistic duty to challenge the Neo-Nazi protesters as well who seemed to have similar views on topics such as Palestine and the war in Ukraine.
The violence from Antifa, who drastically outnumbered the Neo-Nazi group, escalated to the point that security and police had to intervene, with the incident captured on camera.
Why no mention of the Antifa extremists who also turned up today?!
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) May 13, 2023
Easy to condemn Nazis because literally no one likes them.
Antifa and neo-Nazis are as bad as each other but today, only one group turned violent against Jews.
Hint: it wasn’t the Nazis.pic.twitter.com/TUeTK6edHj
I continued to challenge the counter-protesters, pointing out their hypocrisy in condemning racism while seemingly practicing it themselves.
The weekend's events cast a light on the growing tensions in Australia, revealing a volatile intersection of ideologies where even those seeking to mediate and understand are met with hostility and violence.
Thank god my security Daniel was there to keep my safe when I was attacked simply for doing my job. If you can and are able, please chip in to help cover my security costs using the donation form on this page.
Avi Yemini
Chief Australian Correspondent
Avi Yemini is the Australia Bureau Chief for Rebel News. He's a former Israeli Defence Force marksman turned citizen journalist. Avi's most known for getting amongst the action and asking the tough questions in a way that brings a smile to your face.
https://followavi.com/